6,418 NTSB Undetermined Engine Failures!

WHY?

The answer may be on this
timeline.

is the
subject of the SumpThis web-site. To understand why positive
detection is so important, it is necessary to understand
that water can be introduced into an aircraft's fuel tank in several ways,
and while preventive measures are usually taken to prevent water from
entering a fuel tank, areliable meansof positive detectionof
preventionmust exist. For years, in
general aviation, sump drains, moving aircraft wings, dipping an
aircraft's tail and taking fuel samples during preflight
inspections have been the means for positive detection, but as
material on the SumpThis web-site indicates, these means are
unreliable and affect safety of flight.

There are four primary sources for water contaminated fuel.
One source is a fuel tank's filler neck where
fuel is added to a tank. Water from rain and from washing an
aircraft can enter a tank through its filler neck if it's
not properly sealed with a fuel cap.

Images of fuel tanks show a red dye added
to water to contrast it with blue tinted fuel.

Fuel can also be contaminated from
condensation that occurs within a fuel tank.
Over a period of time, condensation could introduce a
hazardous quanity of water.

Additionally, water contamination can occur from a
contaminated fuel source during a refueling process.
Fuel trucks and fuel storage tanks are susceptible to water
contamination.

Finally, sabotage
in the absence of proper security is another means by which water
contamination can be introduced into an aircraft's fuel system.

Pilot's take a fuel
sample to check for fuel contamination during a preflight
inspection using aircraft manufacturer prescribed procedures that are
certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA. If a fuel sample
reveals water, positive detection of it has
occurred.

But what if a fuel sample does not reveal water
contamination? One might think that using FAA certified preflight
procedures that the answer to the question is positive
detection of no contamination, but documented research contained
here on the SumpThis web-site (see FAA March 10, 2000
safety letter) indicates that this answer is incorrect
because it appears to be possible for water contamination to exist and not
be revealed in a fuel sample. Yet, thousands of general aviation flights
are made based on fuel samples that do not reveal contamination, and
many aircraft accidents in general aviation are unexplained.

Water contaminated fuel
affects safety of flight because it could cause an engine to run rough or
cause an engine failure. In either case, these circumstances could further
lead to a forced landing or a crash. It
is because of these dangers to pilots and people over
whom they fly that SumpThis presents research on the topic of
positive detection with emphasis upon the case of a
clean fuel sample. The dangers can be life threatening.

The research presented spans about thirty years.
It includes research by individuals, government and universities
that is organized along a timeline from which a
variety of documentation ranging from fuel tank experiments to
correspondence can be found.

If you are involved in general aviation, or if you are
a person over whom aircraft fly, please proceed to the
timeline.